Porter Cable XP Sanding & Kevin Brown Method

[Junebug]

Back in another life, I was training to be a machinist. One thing we had to do was take a block of steel, file the flat side (4 x6 inch) then rub it on a lap table - metal table with groves cut in it and covered in a thick goo like abrasive. One guy spent a lot of time on the filing step, we thought he was crazy but after hours on that damn lap table trying to get it smooth, we realized he had the plan and we were the fools. My point, sometimes you have to take an agressive step and thoroughly level the surface, it makes the final polishing much easier. Of course it`s easier to just bribe the second year students to use the Bridgeport milling machine - but that`s another story!



Good job David, looks like you got a plan.

[fergnation]

Great job David!! The 3M 1500 Trizact clear coat sanding discs are wicked!! One of the coolest things I have used. Both in looks and performance. A 3M rep gave me a couple of boxes of both 1500 and 3000 foam discs. A total score since those things are expensive. He also gave me some backing plates and pads to try. I have to say I hate the hook it crap because I can`t stand the 3M buffing pads. But those sanding discs level quick and work great with the PC XP.



I still reach for the RO, but if I could level in one pass on half the hood like you did I might rethink the whole damn process. Again, great job.



One more thing, did you tell the owner if wants to put his briefcase on the trunklid, he might want to buy a white car.

[David Fermani]

David Fermani- Seems to me that a spot-repair system ought not be removing orangepeel anyhow, lest it make for an uneven finish.



And yeah, I`ve done 90-some% of my (limited) sanding scratch removal with foam.

You`re right Accumulator. Orange peel is usually pretty uniform on a surface and requires complete/uniform leveling. 3M`s system is really designed for blemishes like runs and dust.



I actually know of quite a few shops that only use foam for thier buffing. Seems as if they`ve figured out the right combination for the clear they use.

Back in another life, I was training to be a machinist. One thing we had to do was take a block of steel, file the flat side (4 x6 inch) then rub it on a lap table - metal table with groves cut in it and covered in a thick goo like abrasive. One guy spent a lot of time on the filing step, we thought he was crazy but after hours on that damn lap table trying to get it smooth, we realized he had the plan and we were the fools. My point, sometimes you have to take an agressive step and thoroughly level the surface, it makes the final polishing much easier. Of course it`s easier to just bribe the second year students to use the Bridgeport milling machine - but that`s another story!



Good job David, looks like you got a plan.

Thanks Jimmy. Nothing like a shop having a perfectly flat bench to guage flatness. Nice of you to share something about your past life with us. :happy:

Great job David!! The 3M 1500 Trizact clear coat sanding discs are wicked!! One of the coolest things I have used. Both in looks and performance. A 3M rep gave me a couple of boxes of both 1500 and 3000 foam discs. A total score since those things are expensive. He also gave me some backing plates and pads to try. I have to say I hate the hook it crap because I can`t stand the 3M buffing pads. But those sanding discs level quick and work great with the PC XP.



I still reach for the RO, but if I could level in one pass on half the hood like you did I might rethink the whole damn process. Again, great job.



One more thing, did you tell the owner if wants to put his briefcase on the trunklid, he might want to buy a white car.

Thanks so much for the great compliment. Much appreciated and good to know you`ve been utilizing your PC for more than just buffing. You really scored with those samples your Rep gave you. I could only wish I could swindle that out of mine. Still waiting for my cabinets! Oh, and yes, the owner was read the riot act about touching his paint. He`s actually turned over an OCD leaf and calls me for advise all the time.

[MichaelM]

Is anyone else using an electric DA to sand paint?

:wavey



micro-surface has some nice thick backing plates for the PC. I really like the 4k papers as well. Cleans up really well with DA/foam.

[HLxDrummer]

WOW



How do you get that kind of leveling with 105 and an LC orange? I used the CCS orange and 105 on regular paint with my G110 and barely removed all the swirls, let alone every defect (multiple passes, too). I`m guessing I don`t have the KBM technique down?



DAMN!

[Accumulator]

..How do you get that kind of leveling with 105 and an LC orange? I used the CCS orange and 105 on regular paint with my G110 and barely removed all the swirls, let alone every defect (multiple passes, too). I`m guessing I don`t have the KBM technique down?

FWIW I have to use 3-4" pads to get that kind of correction when using my old-style PCs, which I figure are pretty similar to your G110. I can do really impressive correction with the KBM and larger pads when I use my GG6 polisher (or the Flex 3401) but those machines are very different from "lesser" polishers.



I also do a lot better with MF cutting disks and Meguiar`s maroon foam cutting pads (both the older style and the new ones) as compared with Orange cutting pads.

[gmblack3]

WOW



How do you get that kind of leveling with 105 and an LC orange? I used the CCS orange and 105 on regular paint with my G110 and barely removed all the swirls, let alone every defect (multiple passes, too). I`m guessing I don`t have the KBM technique down?



DAMN!

You want a flat orange pad, not CCS.

[C. Charles Hahn]

WOW



How do you get that kind of leveling with 105 and an LC orange? I used the CCS orange and 105 on regular paint with my G110 and barely removed all the swirls, let alone every defect (multiple passes, too). I`m guessing I don`t have the KBM technique down?



DAMN!

To be perfectly honest, CCS pads just plain suck IMHO.

[HLxDrummer]

Bummer... I have 5" flat yellow coming from 3D... would it be worth replacing my CCS pads with flat LCs? MFs?



Trying to keep it budget concise as well which sucks

[Accumulator]

To be perfectly honest, CCS pads just plain suck IMHO.

OK, refresh my memory....are the CCS pads the "dimpled" ones or the ones with odd angles? Sheesh, I oughta know that but I hardly ever buy pads :nixweiss

[HLxDrummer]

OK, refresh my memory....are the CCS pads the "dimpled" ones or the ones with odd angles? Sheesh, I oughta know that but I hardly ever buy pads :nixweiss

They have dimples

[C. Charles Hahn]

They have dimples

Yup, these ones:

[Chas]

Definitely not a fan of the CCS pads.

[Accumulator]

They have dimples

-AND-

Yup...

OK, thanks for schooling me. Yeah, I did try one of those once, didn`t care for it even with diminishing abrasives.